User blog:Taldin/The (Temporary) Home of the NaNo Plot Ninjas
Since we're experiencing some problems with invisible ninjas, here are the current Plot Ninjas and Dares for the eponymous challenge over in the NaNoWriMo Participants Guild: *Future Ninjas, Week 1: Sparkly! - Send me a note on Habitica describing a rare and expensive object that will inspire your fellow novelists. The winner will prompt the Ninja for Day 8. *Future Ninjas, Week 2: Step 3: ??? - Send me a note for part of a master plan that would make sense for your novel, but might not make sense to the characters at the moment. ("We're also going to need six boxes of powdered custard.") *Future Ninjas, Week 3: They're Playing My Song - Maybe there's a message in the lyrics for the hero, or just makes you feel good, but... send me a message to suggest a song for a future ninja to rock out to! Daily Challenges: Can be completed any day during November in any order, or can be skipped altogether. The only exception to this is if you complete a Show Your Work (Day #5) or Future Ninja (Week 1), in which case a specific response is required. #Kryptonite Tuesday: The protagonist has a weakness. Maybe it's coffee, maybe it's puppies, but whatever it is makes them utterly stop what they're doing to indulge their weakness. #Smooth Criminal: Add a mention of an (in)famous criminal to your novel. You never know if they'll actually show up to plague the hero! #Take All The Things!: Give a character a choice where they take more than their fair share. Maybe it's Halloween candy, maybe it's water, but it's a moment of weakness for sure. #Power Play: It's about time to show off a main character's 'super power' -- or show something that powers your universe behind the scenes. Bonus points: it stops working right then. #Who Invited Them? (Show Your Work): An unexpected and annoying past acquaintance crashes the current scene. Describe why they're annoying to the protagonist in the guild, in at least 150 words. #Pure Evil: Have a character reference something they consider "evil", whether seriously or humorously. ("Tuna fish? That's EVIL.") #Deux Ex Machinery (Level Boss): Create a checklist for this task, including the following items: ##Large Hammer ##Heavy Lever ##Steam Pipe ##Damaged Wheel ##Rubber Belt ##Oil Leak #: You can check this off as soon as you have added any TWO (Deux in French) into your novel. Or save it until you have all six! #Ancestral Knowledge: (Future Ninja Results): Add a portrait, holocube, or old letter from a long-deceased relative. It contains words of wisdom or somehow triggers inspiration for the protagonist that are -very- relevant to their current dilemma. (Courtesy of Lord Aerixis, winner of the Future Ninja Week 1 Mini-Challenge) # K-9: Introduce your character's pet. If the character already has a pet, have them remember the pet before the current one. Or add a second pet. # Mistakes Were Made: (Show Your Work): A major character expresses regret over something they did in the past. It affects the present in an unexpected way. Show at least two sentences in the guild. # How Convenient: Pit stop time! The plot stops by a local convenience store, trading post, space commissary, or the like. Now's a good time to pick up some supplies that might come in handy later, unexpectedly! # The Outcast: Whether incidentally or part of the plot, the protagonist crosses paths this day with someone who has been deemed unworthy by society. Don't forget to mention why they're an outcast. Do they help or obstruct the protagonist? # Phenomenon: (Doo doo, de doo doot) An unexplained phenommenon occurs at night while the characters are outdoors. Maybe it's a sound, or lights, or both. It's a good time to help your wordcount by having a character explain what they think the phenomenon is or talk about the associated myth! # Weak, Too: In a momentary lapse of judgement, the protagonist's best friend/sidekick does something that causes direct harm to them or their goals. How does this affect their friendship going forward? # Awkward Praise: Your -villain- has a fan in the hero's camp, and they're a bit embarrassing in their support of the main character's nemesis in front of their allies. How does the hero react to this support? # Yet You Still Can't Vote: A group decision has to be made, but the hero's vote is in the minority or is ignored. How do they feel about this, and do they decide to act against the wishes of the group? # The McGuyver Replacement Part: Instructions call for something that is not available anywhere anymore. What do the heroes have to use instead, and does it actually work? (Courtesy of Whitney Airpants, winner of Future Ninjas #2) # The Ace of Spades - Don't particularly like one of your characters? Have the Traveling Shovel of Death handle them... or at least knock them out. # This Means War - Rather than accept defeat, a major character openly declares their intent to fight harder, despite the odds of success. # It's Against the Rules - The protagonist can't do something that they really need to do Right Now, Right Here, because it's against their personal rules or legal laws. Or both! # Reverse Scavenger Hunt (Level Boss) - Cause characters to lose at least three of the following items, or mention that they've lost: ##Their mind ##A set of keys ##The Sparkly! (from Future Ninja #1) ##Track of Time ##Themselves ##A cart pulled by potbellied pigs ##A ham and cheese sandwich ##A dragon (or equivalent) ##A hovercraft (or equivalent) ##72 of whatever your currency is #: Because this is a _reverse_ Scavenger Hunt, permission is granted to go back to any previous part of your novel and put it in there. It's not a revision, it's writing backwards in time! # You Can Never Go Back (Show Your Work) - Have a character remind another about a previous event that resembles the current situation. The response they get is 'This isn't anything like that because...' # Death By Chocolate, The Sequel - "You know what food I really miss right now....?" Thinking about their favorite food distracts the hero at a critical moment. # Time Pressure - A time critical event comes due. How will the heroes deal with having only a limited amount of time to succeed? # Report to a Higher Authority - (courtesy of Nossorgs, winner of Future Ninja #3) - Stuck for how to proceed but need the wordcount? Have the protagonist send in a status report, call Ground Control, or otherwise have to rehash everything that's gone wrong thus far; maybe by doing so they figure out a new approach. # Alphabet Soup Ninjas - For the next 24 hours of writing, attempt to go out of your way to start a _sentence_ once apiece with each of the following letters of the alphabet: (ZXVQJG). They don't have to be in order, but don't be surprised if a xylophone-playing zebra shows up in your novel. # Where Were You Seven Chapters Ago? - Something or someone that could have made a difficult task earlier in your novel trivial shows up, now that it's no longer necessary. # Looking Forward To This (Show Your Work) - Since we're right near the end, it's a good time for the protagonist to plan for the future -- even if it never comes to pass. What are their plans if they get out of this mess? # Gone A-Wry - Whether you're done or not, it doesn't mean that you can't go back and add an 'in hindsight, this might have been funny if we'd said something like this....' A joke. Maybe in the most inappropriate moment. # The Last Ninja - Not finished yet? Skip ahead and write the scene that ends your novel. Finished your novel? Write an epilogue or a teaser for the sequel! Category:Blog posts